Inside an East Bay warehouse to the beat of disco music, and the clank of a sewing machine, Gert McMullin is hard at work. She's sewing a fabric edge onto a brightly colored piece of fabric.
She is working on a panel, that will add another name and another story to a national treasure known as the AIDS Quilt.
Most died, including many of Gert's friends. There was no vaccine, no cure, and no effective treatment. The Federal Government under the Reagan Administration did not mount an aggressive response against the disease.In 1987, Gert heard about a project which was more of a protest. It was dreamed up by AIDS activist Cleve Jones. They were going to the nation's capital to mount a demonstration.
Along the way, families, friends, and lovers made quilt panels to honor and celebrate their loved ones and donated them to the project.The project contains more than 50,000 panels, dedicated to more than 100,000 people who died from AIDSEach panel is personally marked by Gert with a special identifying number.Walking through the warehouse there are 1000s of panels carefully stacked on rows and rows of shelving, it's hard not to be moved.
"People don't want to talk about death and all the grief," Gert said."We welcome it here. I'm not afraid of people crying. You want to cry? A lot of people want to stop you from crying. I'm just 'Go ahead, I'm here if you need me.'"
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